Love is not always meek and mild. Sometimes love is firm and tough, but it is no less love. Consider Jesus’ response to the money changers in the temple. They had turned from prayer to profit and Jesus did not sit idly by. When certain men turned religion into racketeering, He insisted that they leave the premises.

Ever promise your children you’d take them to an amusement park? They may be excited for days—until you get there! Then as they gaze up at the roller coaster, or the spinning gizmo, or the animal-shaped car that disappears into a dark tunnel—they become afraid.